Going Down In Flames: Bridges Burned Part 28

c.r.a.p.

Fifteen minutes later, she and her grandmother sat in the backseat of a large black SUV driven by one of the Red guards. Bryn had changed per her grandmother's request into a dress, but she'd worn flats rather than heels. They were black patent leather, so it's not like they were casual.

"Is there any place we can have pancakes?" Bryn asked. Carbs were her go-to comfort food. Right now she wanted a dozen drenched in maple syrup and b.u.t.ter.

"Take us to Suzette's," her grandmother told the driver.

She'd never heard of the place. "Is that a restaurant in Dragon's Bluff?"

"It's more of a tearoom, but they do serve a nice breakfast. Maybe if I bring your grandfather a box of m.u.f.fins, he won't be so testy for the rest of the day."

Should she apologize for arguing with her grandfather? Nope. She'd already apologized once. It hacked her off that he hadn't acknowledged the effort she'd made.

"In the past, when you two have fought, has he ever apologized or recognized an apology from you?"

Her grandmother chuckled. It wasn't a happy sound. "Ephram Sinclair has never apologized to anyone for anything."

Chapter Twenty-Six.

"How's that possible? He must've made mistakes at some point in his life."

"Mistakes, he has made, but he hasn't seen them as such. Your grandfather is a very confident man. He thinks he knows what's best for everyone."

"Is that a side effect of being on the Directorate?" Oh s.h.i.+t, did she say that out loud?

This time her grandmother laughed for real. "I believe it is. When it comes to dealing with Blue males, it's best to let them think they are in control. Yelling at him was risky. You shouldn't do it again. If he had kicked you out, there would be no second chance."

"How do you deal with his att.i.tude? I'd shoot a fireball at his head."

"Believe me, there have been times I've wanted to. But there's a lot to be said for keeping the peace. Like I told you once before, he goes his way, and I go mine. It's just...easier."

When they reached Dragon's Bluff, the guard parked in a lot across the street from a bakery.

"Are we having doughnuts for breakfast?" Bryn asked.

"No." Her grandmother exited the vehicle and waited for Bryn to join her. "Suzette's is just down the street. Before we eat, we're going to visit a bakery. I need to decide on a dessert for the Christmas ball."

When it came to Christmas, there was only one dessert that mattered. "Does the bakery make Christmas cookies?"

"I suppose they could."

Her grandmother didn't sound that interested.

"If they don't, could we buy some ingredients to make Christmas cookies?" Sadness welled up inside her but she pushed it down.

"You want to bake your own cookies?" Her grandmother looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language.

Patience. "The only thing better than eating Christmas cookies is baking them."

Her grandmother nodded. "We'll see what we can do."

They crossed the street. It was a pretty winter day with crisp weather and a cloudless sky. The light posts in front of the shop were decorated with silver snowflakes. "I wonder if it will snow for Christmas?"

At home, she'd had a few white Christmases. Her eyes grew hot. She sniffled and tried not to think about what had been. Too late. Images flooded her mind. Her dad dressing up like Santa Claus. Waking Christmas mornings and running to find the reindeer food they'd left on the fire escape gone. Stringing popcorn while watching Rudolph on television. Her dad singing all the songs, badly off tune. Bam. Bam. Bam. The hits kept coming.

She clutched at the light post she stood next to because it was within reach. It was real. Everything else was gone. Her entire life. Gone. Everything good, gone gone gone.

Bryn became aware that she was sitting on the ground and her grandmother was yelling at her. "Bryn, what is it? Are you sick?"

Strong hands grabbed Bryn by the shoulders and pulled her to her feet. Jaxon stared into her face. "What's wrong?"

"It can't be Christmas without them." And then she burst into tears.

Lillith appeared by Jaxon's side. "I'm sorry for your loss."

People kept saying that, but it didn't do her any d.a.m.n good.

Her grandmother pa.s.sed her a lace-edged handkerchief. Bryn took it and dabbed at her face, but the tears kept coming.

"You're not going to stop crying, are you?" Jaxon said.

"I'm not doing it on purpose." She took a deep breath and blew it out. Didn't help.

"Perhaps we could sit somewhere and have a cup of tea," Lillith suggested. "Suzette's is just around the corner."

"G.o.d, no." Jaxon backed up a step.

The look of utter horror on his face turned Bryn's tears to laughter. How bad could the tearoom be?

Her grandmother stepped into her line of sight. "Do you feel up to eating, or should we go home?"

The last thing she wanted to do was go stare at the walls of her bedroom. She sniffled and dabbed at her eyes. "Breakfast sounds good." Wanting to prove she was okay, she added, "And we can shop for desserts afterward."

"So we're going to the teahouse?" Lillith's face lit up with excitement. "I've been craving sweets, and they have the best cherry pie."

Jaxon picked up the shopping bags he'd been carrying. "Why don't I take our bags home, and you can stay and have a nice visit."

"But you love the cherry pie at Suzette's." Lillith sounded like she might cry. Was she acting or was she experiencing hormonal mood swings?

The way Jaxon sighed and gave a resigned nod hinted at one answer over the other.

Lillith and her grandmother took the lead. Bryn and Jaxon walked behind them.

"So your mom is a little mood-swingy right now?"

Jaxon snorted. "I'm not sure you should comment on someone else's mental stability."

Bryn came to a dead halt. "Have you reverted back to the a.s.shat you used to be? Because a little notice would've been nice."

He rounded on her. "I am not the problem here. You, my mother, and that G.o.d-awful flower-infested tearoom are the problem."

"You're this upset about a tearoom? Now who's emotionally unstable?"

"My mother dragged me there every Sunday afternoon from the time I was five until I was ten. Believe me, the pie doesn't make up for the agonizing conversations I was forced to endure about china patterns and tablecloths."

She almost felt sorry for him. Almost, but not quite. "Does my grandmother strike you as the type to chat about china patterns?"

"They all talk about china patterns. Like it's mandatory."

"I promise I won't engage in any dish-related conversations." She pointed toward her grandmother. "We better catch up."

"I'm not going." Jaxon took a step backward. "Tell my mother I left to check on a gift."

Before she could argue the point, he took off like a man fleeing death. Fierce Jaxon traumatized by a girlie tearoom seemed absurd. Whatever. She hurried to catch up to her grandmother. They were waiting outside the tearoom.

"Where's Jaxon?" Lillith asked.

Please don't let her cry. "He said he needed to check on a Christmas present."

"Oh, well I guess it's just the three of us." Lillith entered Suzette's.

The dining room at Suzette's looked like a florist's shop had exploded. Floral carpet, floral wallpaper, floral tablecloths, and dear G.o.d, there were even floral dishes.

Yet the place was packed. Women of all Clans sat in small groups. There were a few dispirited young men who seemed to have been dragged there by their mothers. The males all had the same get-me-the-h.e.l.l-out-of-here look on their faces.

Bryn blinked and then checked her grandmother's expression.

"Something you wanted to say?" Her grandmother looked like the cat that had swallowed the canary.

How to be diplomatic about this? "This doesn't look like a place you would enjoy. The decor is...busy."

The hostess met them, grinning like she was in on the joke. "It must be your granddaughter's first time with us."

"Yes," her grandmother said. "She isn't known for her subtle ways. I'm waiting for her to make a comment."

Bryn crossed her arms over her chest. "If they have pancakes, I can deal with the froufrou decorations."

"We'll do froufrou next time," her grandmother said.

"This way." The hostess led the three of them to a side door and down a hallway that led to a room that was the complete opposite of the floral nightmare up front. The walls were a soothing pale blue, the tablecloths were cream-colored, and the floor was polished hardwood. Not a froufrou item in sight.

"Is this more to your taste?" her grandmother asked after the hostess seated them.

Bryn stared around the room. Several women nodded in their direction. Her grandmother and Lillith nodded back.

A waitress brought them menus. Once Bryn saw the words "blueberry pancakes," she was good to go. After they placed their order, she settled back in her seat. "What's the deal with the fake front room?"

"Sometimes you want a place to get away from the men in your life," her grandmother said, "a place they fear to tread."

"The flowery room is a front for the real restaurant?"

"Exactly. For generations, women have dragged their sons and grandsons into Suzette's. Once they're grown men, they never come looking for us here again. As you can see from Jaxon's reaction, it works."

"That is sneaky and brilliant." Bryn had a new respect for her fellow dragons' feminine ingenuity. "Who thought of this?"

"A couple of Green dragons came together with the idea and approached the Blue women's league asking them to finance the operation." Lillith picked up her menu and turned the pages.

"And the men have never suspected anything?"

"They all want out the front door so badly, they never investigate anything else," her grandmother said. "All the women take turns eating in the floral farce once a month. That way the room is always full."

Their food arrived, and Bryn worked her way through the pancakes in the most ladylike way she could manage. Which meant she only dripped syrup on her dress three times.

"We need to work on your etiquette," her grandmother said.

Bryn dabbed at the front of her dress with a wet napkin. At least the syrup didn't show on the dark-colored dress. Time for a topic change. "What's next on the agenda?"

Lillith sighed in satisfaction. "I finished my shopping, so I believe I'm going home to rest."

"Perhaps we should go home, too."

"But we were supposed to shop for desserts." She cringed at the thought of going back to her room and staring at the walls.

"Yes. Well, you weren't supposed to scare the life out of me." Her grandmother's words were harsh, but her tone was soft. She touched Bryn's shoulder. "You might need rest."

"Rest won't fix the problem. Nothing will fix it, but keeping busy might help me cope. I'll try to keep the breakdowns to a minimum."

After a visit to the bakery to discuss dessert options, Bryn and her grandmother returned to the car. The driver sat in the front seat reading a book. Did he have to stay by the car like he was he on call? She needed to figure out how this system worked.

And that made her think of something she couldn't believe she'd forgotten. When would she get her driver's license?

"Will I have driver's training cla.s.ses at the inst.i.tute?" Bryn asked as they took the winding road back into the forest to her grandparents' estate.

"Why would you need to learn how to drive? One of the drivers can take you anywhere you need to go."

Drivers? As in more than one? Wow. "At my old school"-she stopped short of saying "human school"-"everyone takes driver's training cla.s.ses. It's mandatory before you can take the driver's test and get your license."

"That isn't part of the inst.i.tute's curriculum."

And apparently that topic was over. Okay. Maybe she'd ask Valmont to teach her to drive.